A Sson has told of his heartfelt search to reunite his mum with her own Birmingham mother – after the pair were separated 45 YEARS ago.

Muhammad Mahbub-ul Karim’s mum, Jahanara, was just three years old when she last saw Alice Christina Philomena Islam.

Alice, thought to be of Irish origin, was formerly named Alice Fanning.

Jahanara and her two brothers were taken from their family home in Birmingham by their father, Abul Kassem Nazrul Islam, and whisked to Bangladesh following a family dispute. Abul had been granted custody of his three children at Birmingham County Court on February 2, 1968.

Jahanara, Misbahal, then aged six, and Rafiqul, then aged four, travelled with Abul to the Sylhet, Sunamgonj area of Bangladesh where they stayed for five years. The four moved back to the UK in 1972, but stayed in London where Abul got a job with Taj stores, an ethnic food supermarket chain.

Abul returned to Bangladesh in the mid 1980s – but died from a heart attack in 1992.

Muhammad, 26, who works as a solicitor in London, said that his mum and uncles have always wondered why their parents separated – and they are especially hoping to meet up with their mother.

Father Abul Kassem Nazrul Islam

“It will mean the world to them to find their mother,” he said.

“My mother and her two brothers are very upset. There is a massive hole in their lives which can only be filled by meeting their mother.

“They want some closure in their life. Meeting their mother or even knowing whether she is alive or dead is very important to them.

“My mum and my uncles were so young when they were separated from my grandmother. They have never understood why they were taken away from her.

“It is such a big family mystery hanging over us. We really want to find out what happened.

“My mum can barely remember what her mother looks like. My grandfather destroyed all the photographs of her after they separated.

“My grandfather kept silent about the custody hearing – he did not disclose any information to his children.”

Muhammad, who has an elder sister, a younger sister and three younger brothers, has traced the birth certificates for his mum and two uncles in a bid for clues as to the whereabouts of his grandmother.

The family has also discovered documents from Birmingham County Court, seen by the Sunday Mercury, which state that Abul was given custody of his and Alice’s children.

“The document states that my grandad did somehow get custody of their children, but my grandmother had contact rights,” said Muhammad. “Soon after the court papers were issued my grandfather took my mother and my uncles to Bangladesh.

Jahanara Islam and her brothers Rafiqul Islam and Misbahal Islam as children

“Mum mentioned the custody hearing a few times while I was growing up. She was so young at the time that she has never understood what it was about. Over the last three to four months we have been extracting lots of information about it.

“My uncles have tried to look for their mother in the past and I understand that they did go to Birmingham a couple of times – but had no luck.”

Abul and Alice had lived at 7 Cobham Road in Bordesley when Misbahal was born in May 1962. Abul was working as a machine setter at the time.

By the time Jahamara was born in May 1965 the family had moved to 4 Potters Hill in Aston. Abul had a new job as a grocer and shopkeeper.

“We believe that Alice was born between 1930 to 1945,” said Muhammad. “My uncles remember a little more about their mother, although all three agree on some memories of her.

“My mother and her two brothers vaguely remember that they had uncles and aunties and from that they are presuming she came from a large Irish family.

“They do not have any idea on which part of Ireland my grandmother was from.

“My mother and my uncles collectively agree that there they had an aunt – the sister of my grandmother – who was not too much older than my eldest uncle and that her name had a ‘Sarah or Sara’ in it.”

Muhammad added: “This really is all the information that we have at this stage. If any of your readers have any information about my grandmother, or if she is reading this, we would be so grateful if they could get in touch, we really would.”

If you have information about Alice Christina Philomena Islam (formerly Fanning) please contact the Sunday Mercury newsdesk on 0121 234 5269. Or email us at sundaymercury@sundaymercury.net